Arch support



July 16, 1946. Q MULLER 2,403,944

ARCH SUPPORT Filed Dec. 13, 1944 g Z5 /Z IHHII'IIIIIHHW Patented July 16, 1946 TED STATES PATENT QFF1E Charles G. Muller, Elmhurst, Long Island, N. Y.

Application December 13, 1944, Serial No. 567,963

4 Claims. (Cl. 36'-'71) This invention relates to arch supports such whereby the curvature of the arch may be adjusted to meet foot requirements.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an arch support capable of being. readily transferred from one shoe to another, so that a person may use the same support in several pairs of shoes.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide an arch support of flexible construction and capable of being adjusted to various curvatures to accurately fit and support a foot arch with but a minimum expenditure of efiort on the part of the adjuster.

Various other important objects and advantages of the invention shall become apparent to the reader of the following description.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the arch support.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the arch support.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the adjusting spring.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the spring detent member.

Referring to the drawing wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen that numeral 5 denotes a piece of leather of substantially semicircular shape, having its end portions rounded off, as at a, a. The specific shape of this sheet of leather is substantially conventional and is such as to follow the formation of the shoe interior as well as being of sufiicient length and width to give adequate supporting surface to the arch portion of a human foot.

Against the under side of the leather sheet 5 is a metal plate 6, smaller in both longitudinal and transverse dimensions, but being of the general configuration of the sheet 5. The plate 6 has openings therein which register with openings in the sheet 5 and pronged fasteners 1 are disposed downwardly through the openings in order to secure the sheet 5 to the top side of the metal plate 6, the plate 6 being shaped by handor in a forming die or the like.

An elongated adjusting spring 8 has a longitudinal slot 9 at one end thereof and through this slot and aligned openings in the plate 6 and sheet 5 is disposed a bolt or like securing element II] for holding these parts together andparticularly this end of the spring 8 fixed adjustably with respect to the corresponding end of the plate 6.

On the spring 3 at the intermediate portion thereof, and secured thereto by rivets H isan elongated block l2 having transverse grooves I3 therein with which a spring detent member I 4 is adapted to cooperate.

The opposite end of the adjusting spring 8 has an elongated slot I5 therein through which a bolt I6 is disposed like the bolt l 0 in the manner shown in Figure 2, this bolt I6 being also disposed through a longitudinal slot H in one end portion of the detent M. A lock spring washer I8 is interposed between the slotted end of the adjusting spring 8 and the securing nut on the lower end of each bolt l0 and I6, as is apparent in Figure 2.

As disclosed in Figure 2, the end portion of the spring detent l4 opposite to its bolted end is disposed over the transversely grooved block l2 and has a downturned groove-entering lip l9.

Now assuming that the person who intends to wear the arch support purchases the same at a store. In most instances it will be necessary for him to adjust the arch and this is accomplished very easily at either or both ends of the support. The bolt I6 is readily loosened, thus freeing the slotted end of the adjusting spring 8 and the slotted end of the detent It. The support may now be flexed and the proper adjustment of the detent l4 made, and to hold the arch in this desired curved adjustment, the bolt 16 is again tightened for holding the parts in fixed position.

I For some adjustments the other bolt [0 is loosened, the adjustment then made and this bolt again tightened to retain the adjustment effected.

As is apparent, the parts are all readily accessible to the end that adjustment can be made quickly without any unnecessary eifort on the part of the adjuster.

It can also be appreciated that the device while being inherently yieldable, will always react to normally maintain its supporting form and height, to the end that the foot arch will always have the same support although yieldability exists to take care of the various muscular and bone actions of a persons foot, especially while walk- While the foregoing description sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An arch support comprising a leather member of substantially semi-circular outline, said member being of the general shape of the arch portion of a human foot, a metal plate of the same general outline and shape as said memebr, but smaller than said member, and secured to the concave side of said member, an elongated adjusting spring member secured to said metal plate, said spring member being provided at each of its ends with elongated longitudinally arranged slots, an elongated block having transverse grooves therein, said block being secured to said spring member intermediate the length of the spring member, said block being positioned between the spring member and the metal plate,

and a detent member secured to said metal plate at one end and .operatively engaging said block at the other end.

2. An arch support as defined in claim 1, wherein the exposed face of said block is provided with spaced upstanding ridges thereby forming grooves on said block, and wherein-said detent member is provided at its free end with a groove-entering lip for engaging said grooves.

3. An arch support as defined in claim 1,

4 wherein said member and said plate are provided adjacent their ends with bolt-receiving openings, said openings being in alignment with each other and with said elongated slots of said spring member, and a bolt at each end of said member and passing through said openings, whereby said member, plate, and spring member are secured together.

4. In an arch support having a leather member, a plate member secured to said leather at opposite ends thereof, and angadjustable spring device secured to said plate, said adjustable spring device comprising an elongated spring strip, said strip being provided with elongated slots adjacent each end, a bolt passing through each slot and corresponding aligned openings in said member and said plate, said slots in said strip loosely embracing said bolts, whereby the strip may be adjusted on the bolts, a block carried by said strip, an elongated detent member provided at one end with an elongated slot, said slot loosely embracing one of said bolts, and a lip at the other end of said detent member for engaging a selected groove in a series of grooves on said block, whereby the arch support may be adjusted to the particular shoe on which it is worn.

CHARLES G. MULLER. 

